cheese biscuits

i needed to take something to a party last night and was at a loss as to what to bring...everyone had already made it known what their contribution was going to be and all the things i could have brought were being brought by someone else...then, i thought about these...they're yummy, and everyone asked for the recipe, so here it is...

200 grams sharp cheedar cheese
50 grams parmesan cheese
250 grams butter
500 grams strong bakers' flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
paprika


preheat the oven to 170C.

line baking trays with baking paper.

place the cheddar cheese in the thermomix bowl and grate for 2-3 seconds on speed 8. set aside.

place the parmesan cheese in the thermomix bowl and grate for 8 seconds on speed 8. set aside.

place the flour, sugar, peppers and butter in the thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5 or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

add the cheeses to the flour mixture in the bowl. place the dial on closed lid position and use interval speed to knead for 2 minutes.

portion the dough as desired. i used a mini icecream scoop.

sprinkle with paprika.

bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

round things

when i was about 7, my dad brought me to his colleague's housewarming party. mr and mrs little's house, at the time was something special - it was round and had a greenhouse in the middle. at the same time, mr little designed a building in hornsby hospital, and it was round too - he must have been going through his round phase. maybe it was a time for round buildings - i'm thinking harry's iconic round australia square in the city. i recall that the building's name was a bit of a joke at the time - a cylindrical building called a square....haw haw haw - you have to appreciate that at the time there were no jokes flying around the world at cyberspeed, thus people had to find humour in the most mundane of things, even buildings.
this housewarming party was my first introduction to fingerfood and need i say a round fingerfood item? meatballs. i remember the meatballs - they were so tasty. now i'm more familiar with herbs (one would hope so after so many decades), i realise they were seasoned with thyme. and the more i think about them the more i realise that at that time, they were probably made with a packet of stuffing mixed through the mince. nothing wrong with that - it was a time of culinary discovery and we wouldn't be where we are today without them. so i present this recipe for meatballs which is kitschy, but very comforting. take note that i've added fresh herbs to the mix to redeem it and that i've added a modern touch by suggesting that the microwave can be used to simplify the cooking process.

500 grams mince beef
500 grams sausage mince
1 cup stuffing mix (or bread crumbs, if you prefer)
1 egg
1 onion, finely diced
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stock cube

mix all the ingredients together well - i like to use my electric handheld mixer to do this - my hands stay clean and odourless and everything is mixed more thoroughly than i could ever hope to do with my hands.
form the mixture into walnut sized balls and place 10 balls on a plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until cooked through. the meatballs can be served as is, but can also be finished off either by deepfrying or in a hot oven to give them a little colour.
i don't remember any sauce being served with the meatballs at the housewarming, but as a modern touch, a greek yoghurt dip can be served alongside.

layered garden salad

this salad is wonderfully tasty and easy to prepare, and as an added bonus, it can be made the day before it is required, which is useful when entertaining.
this recipe can be found in All-Time Favourites from the Australian Women's Weekly and Best Recipes from The Weekly, both sadly now out of print.
i'm really grateful to my friend, kris, for drawing my attention to this salad - if she hadn't, i'd still be in the dark and ignorant to its total yumminess. i was always aware of this salad, but never thought it was so good; i just categorised it as one of those salads which had its heyday in the 60s and 70s and shelved it as such. little did i know ....

1/2 iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 cups frozen peas
2 hard-boiled eggs
250g button mushrooms, finely sliced
1 cup (125g) grated tasty cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs sour cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
6 spring/green onions, finely chopped
4 bacon rashes, finally chopped
1 large tomato, sliced
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Place lettuce into deep 3.5 litre (14 cup) dish; cover lettuce evenly with peas. Place the sliced mushrooms over the peas and push eggs through sieve, sprinkling the eggs evenly over the mushrooms; top with cheese.
Combine mayonnaise, cream, mustard, juice and onions in a small bowl and pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate.
Before serving, cook bacon in a pan, stirring until crisp and browned; drain on absorbent paper. Arrange tomato slices over mayonnaise layer, and sprinkle with bacon and parsley just before serving.
serves 6 to 8.